Bill Gates has good arguments, and he’s not alone

As if we don’t get enough of our own tribulations, now Bill Gates bursts onto the scene with his plea that climate change will have more dramatic consequences than the coronavirus pandemic. And therefore, call on the rich countries (in fact, the rich of all countries) to reduce the consumption of meat “post” and to switch to synthetic meat, or protein of plant origin.

This is what he proposed this week at the launch of his new book: “How to avoid a climate catastrophe: the solutions we already have and the progress we still need”. Of course, all the ground fell on him … We will try to place ourselves on a blue platform, as proposed by the unforgettable Pierce Lyons during his summons see the bright side.

From this platform the first thing I see is that there is a difference between bill gates and gretha thunberg, the Swedish woman who terrifies her sadness. Gates is neither an environmentalist nor a protester, nor is he reacting against a world that has been radically transformed with the arrival of the digital age. He has a very objective vision. As a philanthropist, you contribute to the fight against Covid 19. But I am sure that your point of view on the risks associated with climate change has serious foundations. Please note, Bill Gates is not a vegan or animal rights activist.

And that it is not just a politically correct position, or a business question because it is a shareholder of Beyond Meat (“vegetable meat”). Rather, he is a shareholder of this company which surprises on Wall Street because he is convinced that a dizzying expansion in the consumption of proteins of plant origin is to come.

Is this a threat to Argentina? At first glance, it does. Firstly, because cattle breeding occupies most of the territory and is the most widespread regional economy. But we are also specialized in the production of basic inputs for livestock: corn, soybeans (flour for balanced meals, oil for Milanese frying), and all the by-products of the agro-industry, biofuels. with glucose candy, or coca cola sweetener. It would be calamitous if something like what is happening in the auto industry happened, where the end of the internal combustion engine is inexorable. Metaphor that the time has come for oil. As one Arab sheikh said, the Stone Age did not end for lack of stones.

However, reality tells us the opposite. Here there does not seem to be a great risk that people will want to renounce the sin of the flesh. From “El Matadero” by Esteban Echeverría (the first Argentine story), we know it. This week of Lent, did anyone fast? In any neighborhood, without meat, there is no table worth it.

In the world, we are at a crossroads. Countries emerging from poverty are including more and more animal protein in their diets. They are Argentinized. We are facing a phenomenal change in the destination of our products. The People’s Republic of China first bought soybeans, then chicken claws, ten years ago it started buying pork companies and five years ago it entered the beef market . With investments in refrigerators in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. They run with everything. The Hilton quota, cuts of great value to the European Union, continues to be a fundamental activity for the export of meat packaging. But it is in crisis, following the pandemic, because people no longer go to hotels and restaurants as before.

So take it easy. Yes look for opportunities at both endsMarkets where the meat is ambitious and markets that listen to guys like Bill Gates. That he has good arguments and especially that he is not alone.